UNION: Busy schedule cuts into practice time for Union

The Union’s Zach Pfeffer, a Dresher native, was recently snubbed from the inaugural MLS Homegrown Game, but he was named to the United States’ Under-2o roster for the NTC Invitational Tournament. (Times Staff / ERIC HARTLINE)

CHESTER — The flipside of the Philadelphia Union’s advancement in the U.S. Open Cup is mornings like Thursday.

By the time the Union reached the one-hour mark of their training session at PPL Park, the majority of regulars had already headed for the showers or the training table, leaving a smattering of players, mainly reserves, on the field for some light shooting drills or a game of soccer tennis.

While streamlining workouts has been a hallmark of interim manager Jim Curtin’s approach, the Union’s crunch of fixtures means that lightening the training load is more a necessity than an ideology.

That’s the case for the Union (4-8-6, 18 points), who have matches coming thick and fast over the next few days. Colorado visits PPL Park Saturday before the Union play host to New York Red Bulls Wednesday, then hit the road for Chicago next Saturday.

Advertisement

Thanks to the Union’s progress in the Open Cup — the latest installment of which was a 2-0 win over New England Tuesday night — the Union are in the midst of a stretch of seven games in 26 days dating to June 24. The dilemma for Curtin is to keep his players fresh and ready to challenge on two fronts.

“It’s a tough time, dog days of summer are tough especially when the games now add up,” Curtin said. “You look at a team like Colorado, they’ll have fresh legs. …. We’re trying to keep it light on the legs for guys who have logged a lot of minutes while still keeping the guys sharp who haven’t been in the lineup. So it’s a challenge.”

Curtin raves about the efforts of fitness coach Kevin Miller, who is responsible for varying the workload and hastening players’ recovery. And for some, the effects of games are almost less strenuous than the monotony of a week of training.

“It’s definitely tough,” said Conor Casey, perhaps the player in the squad for whom workouts are most judiciously meted out. “… You’ve got to rest up and get ready. In some ways, it’s hard, but in some ways it’s easier to play more games. I’d rather do that than have long weeks of training and then play.”

There are some facets of the schedule that ease the burden. For one, a player like Casey was only required for 60 minutes against New England, a rare win in which the Union were reasonably comfortable and didn’t have to battle into the final minutes. Though Colorado didn’t have a midweek effort to cope with, the Union escaped their quarterfinal tilt not much worse for wear.

The Union’s disciplinary situation has also proven to be an unexpected boon. Midfielder Michael Lahoud was suspended for the U.S. Open Cup clash, meaning he’s fresh this weekend. Maurice Edu won’t play against Colorado after a red card in the July 4 loss to FC Dallas, 2-1, allowing him rest for New York.

The decision may be taken out of Curtin’s hands, but at least the suspensions remove the temptation to overtax members of his squad.

On the injury front, the Union should get a boost this weekend. Vincent Nogueira, who has missed three matches with a groin issue, trained fully Thursday. Curtin is “cautiously optimistic” that he could be available for selection, though Curtin has said in the past that he’ll likely ease him back into the lineup given the nature of his injury and the job done by Cristian Maidana deputizing in his stead.

Central defender Austin Berry is healed from a rib injury that has affected his status the last few weeks. But in keeping with the theme of his snake-bitten debut season with the Union, he’s been under the weather with a stomach bug. That has Curtin sweating Berry’s fitness to withstand 90 minutes in the heat Saturday and exploring options at central defense. Without Edu, that could pave the way for Ethan White’s Union debut.

“We’re tinkering; we’re looking at a couple of different options there,” Curtin said. “A guy like Ethan White is a real option now. Ethan has been very sharp in training. He’s been a guy that we’ve been trying to get a game now. He’s earned it from the way he’s performed in training.”

•••

The Union’s Zach Pfeffer was named to the United States’ Under-20 roster Thursday for the NTC Invitational Tournament to be held in Carson, Calif., July 14-18.

The midfielder has made four appearances (one start) this season for the club, his first action 2012. The native of Dresher who was the club’s first homegrown signing back in 2011, was earlier this week snubbed from the inaugural MLS Homegrown Game, a youth all-star showcase for Homegrown Players attached to the MLS All-Star Game in Portland. No Union players were included in that game.

Joining Pfeffer on the 20-man U-20 roster is Downingtown native and Union Academy product Zack Steffen, a goalkeeper at the University of Maryland, and Lancaster native Russell Canouse, who played alongside Pfeffer for a yearlong loan stint with the youth team of German club Hoffenheim in 2013.